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It’s Up To Us Now – Part 8

We in Middle India don’t care. As long as we get the money we need, we use that to create insulation around us from the perpetually planned poverty that lies around. All that ails the nation can be made to vanish in the cocoon we have created around ourselves. The feeling is, “We have an honest PM, a woman President, a sacrificing Mother India, an economy starting to grow at 8% again, what more can we ask for?”

Our children, thankfully, will not be as callous. They will hold our feet to the fire. And one day, we will have to answer that question, “You saw what was happening. Did you do something about it?”

I have decided to do something about this. I am ready with an answer when Abhishek asks me that question. The answer is “Yes, I did the best I could.” I hope you too will be able to give the same answer. Because if we do, then millions of us can indeed change the future of India to be something more wholesome and better than what has been the past.

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Long back, around two decade back, I remember asking an opposite question to my Dad( who was a Freedom Fighter and draws pension on the same )

Is this the India that you fought for ? we had great debates months together and he agreed with wet eyes saying ‘NO’ – he expected India to be united and will once again become a great country.

I also agree that India is best when its ruled Or being Led, atleast, thats when we are united.

About doing something for the country:
Yes, Did make a start to it post the riots in Mumbai ( which, ofcourse I was completely against ). Thats the time I also shifted to Mira Road ( only place which was not effected during the riots ). This was possible due to lot of positives that took place post Badri Masjid. One of my school friend, a Muslim, was a local Builder, was also one of the yongest corporator ( later on went on to become Mahatashtra’s youngest Youth President. I still remember those days when couple of us, frineds, together coxed him to enter politics, the reason was sinple, he was born rich, humble, brought up in a secular environment, educated, natural leadership qualities and at 21 was already a successful businessman in his own right.
He won the elctions due to some simple strategies adopted and mapped by us:
-We went to the grassroot.
-We met all the Community Associations.
-Every Sunday, we used to go to Society offices, meet up with the committee members, undestood their issues, their day-to-day problems.
-Going to the Municipal offices to get the things done.
-Doing multiple signature campaigns to get the work done from the Municipal and other governing offices.
-Pushing for multiple water connections.
-Personaly Planting Trees, cleaning the gutters before the monsoon etc etc
– Participate in all religious functions organised by the Multiple Community Asociations.
– Donating hansomely for all important festivals Or for building temples Or providing land to build up Temples, Mosques, Derasars Or acquiring land for Cremation for all communities ( Mira Road is the only place in Mumbai Or maybe India where a Hindu-Muslim-Christians cremation ground is next to each other.
-Keeping Hawker Free Zones.
– And Many more regular activites.

The whole of Sundays and Public Holidays used to be consumed but with lot of personal satisfaction. For me personaly, it used to be a good stress buster.

But then slowly, things started to change:
Being a politician, our friend started to get himsef surrounded by the so called Chamcha’s ( we were made to understand and we understood, these types of peple are needed in politics ) and all this started suddently without all of us knowing, slowly we all started spending less and less time together as it became more and more suffocating to be among these new breed of people Or community. We also understod that once you achieve success, lot of strangers suddently comes close to you and starts dominating the environment.
Lot of the stuff ofcourse i wont be able to share openly…
We still continued … but over a period of time we just tapered off.
Its not that people dont want to contribute but the circumstances around you wont allow you to stay afloat. And there is always limit to your patience and being actively involved from heart it hurts and in the end being in social service or politics or around politics its a thankless job and presently its an era of criminalised politics.
But, yes, we should not lose hope or give up, there can always be a New Begining… a New Tomorrow..

As someone who has little idea on the realities of today’s politics, I always believed it may be easier to fix things from outside the ‘system’ rather than from inside. I don’t follow what goes on in Indian politics – whats on these parties agenda, what each of them would do to tackle corruption, improve transparency and accountability – but i see great inspirational value from what Janaagraha and Naxals could do.